A Baltimore judge found Adan Espinoza Canela and Policarpio Espinoza Perez guilty in May 2004 of the near-beheadings of three young Mexican children -- their relatives -- in an apartment in the Park Heights area of Baltimore.

The children -- 8-year-old Lucero Espinoza; her 9-year-old brother, Ricardo Espinoza; and her 10-year-old male cousin, Alexis Espejo Quezada -- were found with their throats slashed. A motive for the slayings was never established.

Both defendants had been sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Those sentences will remain in effect as a result of the appellate court?s decision.

"This ruling by the Court of Special Appeals is a resounding victory for justice," said state?s attorney Patricia Jessamy. "This horrific and hideous crime, committed against the most innocent among us, frightened not only the Park Heights community but the entire region. We are extremely satisfied that the Appeals Court sided with the state?s argument and offers closure for the people of Baltimore and the memory of Lucero, Alexis and Ricardo and their families."

The court ruled that notes from the jury that weren't seen by the attorneys didn't affect the outcome on the jury's verdict.

A bizarre situation is unfolding in Baltimore in which people are paying rent to a landlord who claims he's helping fill the need for affordable housing, but there are serious questions about the living conditions inside, as well as who actually owns the homes.